Bank Fraud case: Prosecutors request maximum 25-year sentence for Vlad Plahotniuc

Prosecutors are seeking up to 25 years in a closed-type penitentiary for former Democratic Party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc in the Bank Fraud case, on charges of fraud, money laundering, and creating and leading a criminal organization.

The request was made today by state prosecutors at the Chișinău Court, where a new hearing took place, marking the start of the final pleadings. The former Democrat did not attend the hearing. Prosecutor Alexandru Cernei stated that several counts are being examined in this case.

“In the present trial, the defendant is charged with five counts: creating and leading a criminal organization, fraud, and money laundering on an especially large scale. Today we presented an analysis of the evidence administered. We requested that a sentence be set for the combination of offenses, a final sentence by total cumulation of penalties in the amount of 25 years of imprisonment. This is the maximum limit of the criminal punishment provided by the Criminal Code at this time,” Cernei said.

The former Democrat’s defense rejects the accusations and describes the case as being politically motivated.

“Our client is innocent. All the charges are unfounded and purely declarative in nature,” said Plahotniuc’s lawyer, Lucian Rogac.

In addition to the “billion theft” case, the ex-leader of the Democrats is also under investigation for document forgery in a new criminal proceeding. This was recently initiated based on documents seized by Greek investigators from the house Vladimir Plahotniuc was renting in Athens, Greece. The documents indicate that he allegedly used multiple identities, with a total of 18 fake documents discovered.

Vladimir Plahotniuc has been in pre-trial detention since 25 September 2025, after being extradited from Greece, at which time four arrest warrants issued in his name were enforced. He is currently held in Penitentiary No. 13 in Chișinău and is under investigation in four high-profile criminal cases, which concern, among other things, the establishment and leadership of a criminal organization, fraud, money laundering, and bank fraud.